The first step of the data analysis with respect to the eventual application of the various new methods in latent trait theory is here initiated. The data are a set of approximately 500 item responses of each of 7,439 examinees to the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, Form 6, on one of three difficulty levels, which correspond to the ages of 11, 12 and…

This study developed a hybrid of item response theory (IRT) models and latent class models, which combined the strengths of each type of model. The primary motivation for developing the new model is to describe characteristics of examinees' knowledge at the time of the examination. Hence, the application of the model lies mainly in so-called…

New legislation in 1972 shifted the emphasis of the California Assessment Program (CAP) from traditional every pupil achievement testing to a more efficient multiple-matrix testing design, under which a broad spectrum of skills could be surveyed without undue expenditure of educational resources. Scale score reporting was introduced to the grade 6…

This study investigated the dimensionality of mathematics subscale scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress for the assessment's Technical Review Panel, specifically for the data from the 1990 and 1992 main assessment in relation to students' instructional and noninstructional background variables. Discriminant analysis was…

The psychometric research done by G. Rasch between 1951 and 1959, which is explained and illustrated in this book, takes psychometrics from being purely descriptive to being a science of objective measurement. Individual centered statistics require models in which each individual is characterized separately and from which, given adequate data,…

This book shows the advantages of Rasch measurement (G. Rasch) for school district testing programs. The results of Rasch methods are contrasted with conventional statistics for assessing student responses to basic skills testing. Chapter 1 shows how the Rasch probability-based method produces measures that are more useful for students, parents,…

The stability of Rasch test item difficulty parameters was investigated under varying conditions. Data were taken from a mathematics achievement test administered to over 2,000 Australian students. The experiments included: (1) relative stability of the Rasch, traditional, and z-item difficulty parameters using different sample sizes and designs;…

Having low literacy skills could impact everything from reading a newspaper and balancing a checkbook to wise consumer decisions and job advancement. This study estimates adult literacy measures for Cuyahoga County, Ohio and its municipalities. It is also important to have a sense of how many children are at risk for developing literacy problems…